Laptop damaged keyboard spamming keys, can't get past boot (Windows)

[UnderPass]

Hello,

My laptop has a damaged keyboard from a drink being spilled on it - so damaged that it detects keys being spammed at all times. As of late, it thinks that a key is being spammed that during startup interrupts the boot and goes to a screen that would allow you to change the BIOS, choose a different boot method, or look at device info - but because keys are being spammed, I can't get past that screen (it requires key inputs to make selections). In other words, the laptop won't boot.

Is there a way that I can disable the laptop keyboard and utilize an external one WITHOUT booting, in order to get past the boot process? I really need to nab some files off of that laptop until we can get in to get it fixed.

Thanks.

 

[johnb35]

You can try unplugging the keyboard cable, you have to open the laptop for that though. What is the exact model of laptop you have? Some keyboards are pretty easily replaced.

 

[beers]

Did you confirm that keys are being sent, or is it simply an assumption? I'd just pull the ribbon on the keyboard, and observe the result, if it's truly the keyboard there's no other way to circumvent that.

There's also the possibility that other components failed like storage as well as the keyboard, some UEFI platforms will just dump you into configuration mode when there isn't a bootable device. Can you hook up an external keyboard anyway and navigate around the menu? You might have to dive a little deeper to get a full impact. If it still does nothing with no internal keyboard and trying to use an external then you have a much larger slew of impacted components.

Hopefully it's the least impactful result, although drink type of issues are usually 'new computer time'. Also you might be able to throw the storage in an external dock if you wanted to check out retrieving the contents on another computer, assuming it isn't bitlockered via TPM or something similar.

 

[UnderPass]

UPDATE: I have attempted plugging in an external keyboard and was able to get past the configuration mode screen. I am now able to access my desktop.

You can try unplugging the keyboard cable, you have to open the laptop for that though. What is the exact model of laptop you have? Some keyboards are pretty easily replaced.

HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-dk0042nr (I believe)

Did you confirm that keys are being sent, or is it simply an assumption? I'd just pull the ribbon on the keyboard, and observe the result, if it's truly the keyboard there's no other way to circumvent that.

I did confirm - when the drink was first spilt on it, it thought the "3" key was constantly being pressed, as evidenced by the fact that if you went into any search bar to type it would instantly begin putting a large amount of 3's into it. Since then, the spammed key has cycled, which I assume means a lot of the contacts are detecting false input and every time we start up the laptop it randomly detects another first and gives it priority. Now, I believe it's the escape key - as such, even though I have an external keyboard plugged in, it still takes input from the internal one and every time I try to open a menu (like the Start menu, task bar search, or drop-down option bars, etc.) they close instantly.

Now that I'm in my desktop, is there a way to disable the internal keyboard? Or will I have to actually pull the ribbon, taking apart the laptop in the process?

 

[johnb35]

ow that I'm in my desktop, is there a way to disable the internal keyboard? Or will I have to actually pull the ribbon, taking apart the laptop in the process?

The only way to disable it is to unhook the ribbon cable. Check this video out, should look similar to yours.

 

[UnderPass]

Well, good news, I found a way to temporarily disable it (either I got a good window of time where the internal keyboard was miraculously not spamming anything or the external keyboard had enough priority over the internal one to open Run and run Device Manager). So I was able to get my files off. Thanks for the help.